Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Journey

Over the past twelve months I have been on what I thought was a focused journey. this week I was listening to a sermon and the preacher asked his congregation how many had parts of their testimony they don't share. It immediately resonated, because although I have shared a lot of my testimony, there are part that I have not shared or do not share regularly.

I have used the excuse that it is not my story to tell. Often times in my life, I have been greatly impacted by situations that did not involve me directly. For example abuse in my family. I was not a victim of the abuse or the perpetrator, but as a child those events shaped a lot of my life. Or as I got older, the illegal drugs, events impacted my life. The death of my two best friends, I wasn't there but each of their life's and deaths dramatically impacted my life.

I have been asked to share those stories, and at times I have shared parts in a small setting as I felt that the journey that I took and how those situations impacted mine could certainly help someone else who was in a similar situation.

But as I listened to that preacher, I was reminded that I do not always know what journey people are on, and that sometimes I have to step out of the comfortable and share to help others. I have to be willing to share the journey because it is freeing for me, and it is helpful for others.

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About Me

Hello, my name is Jackie Schnedler. I am a mother of three adult children. I also have three grandchildren. I am married to my junior high sweetheart, this is our second marriage to each other. And as the youngest of five children I am also in the stage of life, where I help care for my widowed mother.

I am a social worker by profession. I have worked in child welfare, psychiatric hospital, medical hospital, private practice, and nonprofit. I love being a social worker, and although I can't share the personal stories due to confidentiality, God has given me wisdom to help others through things I couldn't imagine. Often times I can share the lesson, but without the story. My life has been blessed to touch the lives of many, and I am blessed to be used by God doing what I do.

Life has given me a lot of experiences to write about, and God is
giving me new insight into things stretching me and growing me in to who
He designed me to be when I finally grow up! Usually when people meet
me, they say "Your too young to have a 22 year old," to which I respond
"Yes." Kinda not worth the argument and they don't want to hear my
crazy teenage mother story.

That being said, I believe every experience I have been through has been for the benefit of others. It is not my job to tell others' stories, but it is my passion to help people who are in circumstances that I have been through and share the wisdom that God has given me to help people through circumstances I haven't faced.